The New Kingdom
by TomMaier
Summary: The return of Prince Kopa is bringing forth the dawning of a new era for the Pride Lands.
1. Chapter 1

She crawled forward, her body screaming in pain with each pull she gave. Roar after roar of agony, screamed through clenched teeth, was beginning to draw in the scavengers. With a heavy sigh, she looked up to the sky, taking in the sun's position.

'High noon' she thought to herself. 'What a perfect way to die' she thought sarcastically. She gave a groan of exhaustion. Slowly dropping her precious cargo to the ground, she knew she could go on no longer. She took in the sight of her healthy, albeit, thinning cubs, and smiled sadly.

"Looks like this is it, little ones" she said heavily, breathing becoming labored. "I did my best" she whispered to the sky. They gave nothing more than mewls of confusion, not understanding. Staring on through closed eyes, they could do nothing more than respond with soft purrs and mewls. Her heart sank at the sight. Slowly, she felt the world change around her. Sight began leaving her first. The little cubs began to fade into darkness. Her hearing became more muffled as well. She no longer had the strength, and her head dropped to the ground. The darkness grew closer, but not before a large blurry shape made its way into her ever-fading vision. The last things she heard were the cries of the figure.  
"Vitani! Find Kopa and Kovu! Get my...and tell...HURRY!"  
Then...nothing. She'd done her best.


	2. Chapter 2

**We're back with the second installment of my **_**The Lion King**_** fanfiction works. I'd forgotten it in the first chapter, so here it is. II do not own Disney's **_**The Lion King**_**. Any characters that appear in this story besides the ones Disney owns are mine. I will make many referances to both **_**The Lion King**_** and **_** The Lion King 2, Simba's Pride.**_** The plot for this story was given to me by ****Emolichic1 Mar 26, 2013.**

**The Morning Before**

Life in the Pridelands had been great. It'd been two years since Kopa's return, and the lands had flourished even more fully than during Mufasa's reign. Hinshai had grown into a cute little cub, taking in her mother's electric blue eye color, but her father's golden pelt. Pembe, despite her time spent with Timon and Pumba, had become the wisdom of the Pridelands. Animals from all around the kingdom sought her out for advice. Ajabu had been nicknamed "healer", taking lessons from Rafiki in medicine and first aide. Even the other prides had prospered greatly. Chumvi and Tamu gave birth to a young cub, Koruba. Even Tojo and Tama had a cub, Longua. Things were looking up for the prides.

Kiara looked up at the early sunrise, the scarlet rays spilling across the sky. She sighed in content, remembering the countless mornings she'd spent as a cub waking early, trying to sneak out of the cave.

"Reminiscing?" a deep voice came from behind. Her mouth grew into a slight grin.

"Yeah. I used to watch the sunrises every morning as a cub. This just brought me back to my younger days" she responded.

"You say younger days like you aren't only a few years old" the other lion replied, taking a seat beside her. "You're practically still a child" he said with a smirk. She narrowed her eyes playfully, swatting him with her tail. "Oh, that's not fair, you know mine doesn't work" he said, faking anger. The two had gotten along since his return as though he'd never left. When the others ask why he still treats her like a child, Kopa just smiles, telling them 'I'm making up for lost time'.

Mornings like these she truly cherished. She was able to spend a lot of one-on-one time with the brother she'd never known she'd had. A raspy feminine voice came from the cave.

"Is he already whining? The sun's barely even up."

Kopa and Kiara turned to see the other pair of siblings exiting the cave, Hinshai bouncing around her mother excitedly.

"Oh, sweetheart, must you always bring me down?" Kopa asked, nuzzling into Vitani's grey fur.

"Well, if I don't stop you now, you won't stop at all" she said with a smile.

"Daddy! Daddy!" Hinshai was shouting, bouncing around her parents. "Today's the day!" Kopa chuckled lightly.

"Yes, today's the day."

"You're gunna show me all around the Pridelands?" she asked, rolling on the ground.

"Every blade of grass."

"Teach me how to hunt?" She rolled again, looking up to him.

"Why wouldn't I?" he asked with a smile.

"Get me all dirty so mommy has to give me a bath?" she asked, pouncing onto his back.

"Don't I always?" he grinned.

"YAY!" she shouted. The two began wrestling around. Vitani rolled her eyes as she walked off towards the waterhole, muttering something about raising two children. But not even she could stop the ever so slight grin from showing up on her face. Kiara looked on in admiration.

"Oh, Kovu. When are we going to have a cub?" she asked, dreamily. Kovu began to blush slightly.

"Uh...well, that's up to the Great Kings to decide" he answered. "Besides..." he leaned towards her ear, whispering. "It's not like we haven't been trying." She only giggled. The two continued to watch the father and daughter playing together for a few more moments. Soon enough, the king and queen made their ways out of the den, smiling proudly at their family.

"Kovu, are you ready for the day's patrol?" Simba asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be" he replied with a smile.

"Good. Zazu should be meeting us around Five Stones, and it's your turn to pay attention to the morning report." Kovu's mouth hung open. Kopa ceased his playing momentarily, rolling onto his stomach.

"Ha-ha" he said, mockingly, just before being pounced on again.

"Bu-bu-bu-? I did it last time!" he protested. Simba just smiled, beginning to make his way down the stone steps.

"And I'd done it for years before our reunion, so, you've still got quite a lot of time to catch up" he said, beginning to hum 'Hakuna Matata'.

"Simba, you can't be serious..." the humming grew louder. "Simba?" He took off after him. "Oh come on, I know you can hear me!" Nala sat down beside her family, laughing airily at the sight.

"Your father can be such a pain sometimes" she said with a smile. Kiara gave a huff.

"Don't _I _know it. Remember how he used to keep me under strict surveillance every time I _thought_ about leaving Pride Rock?" she asked, sitting beside her mother. She glared at Kopa. "And it's all _your_ fault." He looked up, puzzled.

"No more, Hinshai" she said, shaking his daughter from his back. "Now, if I remember correctly, and out of the two of us, _I_ would remember it correctly, it certainly wasn't _my_ fault." He stood up and walked towards her. "I didn't wake up that morning, thinking 'Gee, you know that'd be fun? Getting beat to near death and jumping off of a waterfall. 'Scuse me while I kiss the sky' " he said, throwing a kiss into the air, making his daughter laugh.

"What are you talking about, Daddy?" she asked with a smile. He looked down to her.

"How about we save that story for bed time?" he asked, grinning. "So, are you ready to go see the Pridelands, or are we just going to stay around this stuffy old rock all day?"

"No way! I'm ready to go!" she shouted, bounding away from her father. "Come on, Daddy!" He stood slowly, and began walking towards her.

"I'm comin', I'm comin'." He nuzzled his sister and mother on the way to his daughter. "We'll be back later" he shouted over his shoulder, heading down the steps.

"Kopa?" Nala shouted. He looked back. "Try not to bother anyone today."

"I'll try!" he shouted. "But not very hard" he whispered to his daughter, and the two took off laughing. Nala shook her head with a smile.

"He's terrible at whispering." She looked back to see Kiara staring into the plains, not focused on anything. "Kiara?" Kiara's head shook, clearing itself of any distracting thoughts.

"Hm?"

"You alright? You looked a little lost there for a second."

Kiara's ear twitched slightly, a subtle tell to her nervousness.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Just thinkin'."

"About what?" Nala asked curiously.

"Nothing important. Hey, I'm going to go see Rafiki. I'll be back later." Nala looked at her daughter suspiciously. "Mother, I'm _fine_. I just feel like getting a check up." Standing, she nuzzled her mother before bounding down the stone steps. Staring quizzically at the shrinking form of her daughter, Nala shook her head and sighed. "There's not a normal person in my family, is there?" she asked herself.

"Never has been, never will be" replied a soft, elderly voice. Nala turned to see her mother walking out from the cave, followed by the rest of the pride sisters. Sarafina's age had caught up to her, but she was still as healthy and beautiful as ever, despite the cloudiness that had been growing into her left eye. Nala smiled softly at the sight.

"And I wouldn't have it any other way." Sarafina made her way to Nala, nuzzling her lovingly. "How are you feeling today, mom?"

"I feel fine. Just because I'm old doesn't mean I'm falling apart. Stop doting me" she responded with a smile. The two separated. Another lioness bounded up to them.

"So, what's the plan for today, chief?" the red lioness asked energetically. "Are we hunting? Or are we training? Or maybe-"

"Hara, sweetheart, calm down" Sarafina said calmly. The younger lioness took a deep breath in, and released it slowly. "Better?" With a big smile, she nodded.

"To answer your question, we won't be hunting until this afternoon, so you guys are free to do whatever you want to until then." Most of the lionesses began walking away, less than half remaining. Nala sighed. "Dismissed..." The remaining few stood and left as well. She turned to Hara and her mother. "You think they'd pick it up by now."

"Nala, it's easier to pick habits up, then to get rid of them and-"

"Like ticks?" Hara asked.

"Yes, like ticks. And it's even harder to get rid of them when they'd been forced upon you for years" she finished.

"I know, I know. I'm glad that they'd adjusted so well otherwise, though. We don't have to wake up to half of the pride waiting outside for orders anymore" Nala said with a smile.

-In the Plains-

Kiara's usually quick steps had slowed considerably. The cause being the intense thoughts that's been running through her head. No matter how she went about i, she couldn't find an answer.

_We've been trying over and over, but _nothing_ happens! We must've mated at least ten times, and I'm _still_ not pregnant... _Looking down at the ground, Kiara hadn't been paying much attention to where she was going, but she'd already found the direction to walk, so it wouldn't matter much. At least, not until she'd run into something thin and furry, knocking it over and landing on top of it. Shaking the thoughts from her head, Kiara looked down and was met with a pair of electric blue eyes.

"And you're on me because...?" Shuffling quickly with embarrassment, Kiara got to her feet.

"Sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going..." she muttered, beginning to walk away towards the Baobab tree, now visible on the horizon.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Vitani asked, hopping in front of Kiara, blocking her path. "You're usually so peppy...now you're so downcast. That's my thing" she added with a smile, trying to brighten the mood. Kiara chuckled lightly.

"No it's just...nevermind" she stopped, blushing.

"Kiara, we're practically sisters. You can talk to me" Vitani said, moving closer to her.

"It'd be too awkward..."

"I've heard it all."

"Well...you see..." Kiara was still visibly hesitant about bringing this up to Vitani. Letting out a deep sigh, she began. "Well, Kovu and I...we've been trying to have a cub and-"

"Oh Kings Above!" Vitani shouted, face reddening.

"See, I told you..." Kiara looked away, shamefully.

"No, no, it's just a bit...unsettling...the thought. Continue."

"Well, there's been no success, and we've tried many times. Just, with no results... I'm on my way to see Rafiki to see if maybe there's something wrong."

"Oh." That was all Vitani could think of. She wasn't exactly an expert in emotional ordeals. "Well, uh, would you like me to come with you?"

"Oh, no. You don't have to, I wouldn't want to bother you-" Vitani cut her off.

"Kiara, I'm not good with this kind of stuff, but if things are as you think they are, being alone when you find out _may_ not be the best way to deal with it." She gave Kiara a smile. Slowly, she smiled back.

"Thanks" Kiara replied appreciatively. The two continued to walk towards the large tree in silence, until Kiara broke it.

"So, I've wanted to know...what was it like growing up in the Outlands?"

Vitani's muscles tensed very slightly, pupils dilating as memories of her childhood flooded through her mind. She took a deep breath, regulating her body back into control. She cleared her throat before speaking, speeding up her pace to catch up with Kiara.

"Well, it was...intense...growing up where we did. There were many days we'd go without. There was rarely any large meals, and water was even scarcer. It's not somewhere that you'd want to raise cubs" she finished.

"How did you guys live out there?" she asked in a curious tone. Vitani's answer surprised her.

"Family. I wouldn't have made it alone. Having others there to play with as a cub, and even to just be around was incredibly helpful. When there's others suffering with you, you tend to distract each other from how bad it all really is. I'm glad that Chuki'd stuck with me throughout it all. She's been a great friend my entire life, and I'm thankful for that." Vitani stared off, absent-mindedly. "Don't lose your family, Kiara. Loneliness is such a drag." Kiara was in awe of how such a small question could make Vitani open up more than she'd realised she'd done.

"Wow. I think this is the closest we've been since we met." Vitani looked over to Kiara, who smiled to her. "Thank you for sharing that with me." Vitani smiled back, but had to change her tone. _Can't have Kovu thinking I've done soft_ she thought to herself.

"Eh, all I did was answer a question. It's no big deal" she was with as much of a shrug a walking lioness could muster. "We're here" she stated, looking up the trunk of the ancient tree. Kiara, nervously, began calling for the mandrill.

"Rafiki? Are you here?" There was silence. "Rafiki?"

"Ah, who wakes me up at such an owah?" the mandrill's heavily accented voice could be heard coming from the branches above. Suddenly, a head popped out from a cluster of leaves. The two young lionesses looked up to the mandrill, taking in his image. Rafiki's age had begun to catch up with him. The wrinkle lines around his eyes had become permanent from all of the smiling he'd done over his years, his beard reached a near snow-white coloration. "Ah, Princess Kiara, and young Vitani!" A smile played across his lips. "Well, come on up!" he shouted, waving an arm in a beckoning motion. "Don't dawdle, we haven't got all day!" he cackled. Kiara, with a smile, began climbing up the trunk with her claws. Vitani, with an irritated sigh, followed suit.

She'd never cared all too much for Rafiki. She found his mysterious ways and lack of sanity to be a bit...unsettling. Yet, she still couldn't argue with results, as far as healing abilities go. Finally making their way to the flattened area atop the trunk of the tree, Vitani sat calmly. Looking over to see Kiara panting heavily from the climb.

"You alright?" she asked. Kiara looked over to her with a glare.

"Not all of us were trained for this kind of thing." A small smile graced Vitani's lips. _So that's what it's about._

"Yeah, well, while you Pridelanders were handed everything, we were out working for it" she said, smiling smugly. "And it looks like it's paid off."

"Ha-ha, very funny..." Kiara mumbled. Rakifi landed before them, quickly clutching his staff, holding it tight.

"Now, what is it you need from old Rafiki, hmm?" the mandrill asked, bringing his face close to Kiara.

"Well...you see...I-we...(sigh) Kovu and I have been trying to have a cub for a while now, and nothing's happened. I was wondering if there could be any reason?" The old mandrill stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"Ah, I see. Well, I'm afraid you may not like my ansuh. Dehr could be mant tings. All of which, I know how to check of coarse. But..." he sighed, sitting cross legged. "As I said, it could be many tings. You just may not have de ability, or de Great Kings may not want it to be so." A look of panic crossed Kiara's face.

"Not have the ability? Bu-but if I don't there's something we can do to fix it, right?" Rafiki looked at her in silence. "Right?" she repeated, almost hysterically. Rafiki sighed deeply.

"Kiara, I undahstand how you ah feeling, but you must remain calm. I haven't even done any tests yet." He rose to his feet, staff in hand. "Would you like to get started?" Hesitantly, Kiara nodded.

"Yes. The sooner I find out, the better." She looked over to Vitani, who'd been quiet until now. Vitani forced a smile, in an attempt to raise the spirits of the current situation.

"Don't worry Kiara, I'm sure everything will be fine" she said, guilt gnawing at her, knowing that may be a lie.

"Okay, now get outta here!" Rafiki shouted, shooing Vitani towards the edge of the tree. He leaned in and whispered to her. "Dis is a delicat situation. De fewer around, de more relaxed she will be." Nodding, Vitani gave one last smile to Kiara, and hopped down the trunk of the ancient tree. Rafiki turned back to the princess. "Alright, let us begin."

**I apologise for the wait between updates. I've been busy as of late, and haven't had much free time. I'll try to crack down on my frequency as much as I can. Review and tell me what you think so far. Got a few song lyrics in there. Let me know if you find them.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Bad News**

"Alright, let us begin." The old mandrill hobbled forward towards the princess. "Now, you must lay on your side. Dehr are a few tings I must test. I must warn you, princess. Dis may not be a very confortable visit." He spoke calmly, turning from her and grabbing various fruits and shells. Kiara's eyebrows furrowed, but she nodded anyways. Rafiki began humming softly, mixing the innards of the fruits and gourds into the shells. Kiara swished her tail patiently waiting. After a few moments, he turned back to her. "Dis may take a while, as dher are many tests. First, drink dis..."

-In the Plains-

"On my mark."

The two combatants stared hungrily at the piles of various insects that's been placed before them.

"Get ready..."

There eyes narrowed in a competitive gaze.

"Consume!"

Timon and Pumbaa lunged towards their grubs, crunching on any moving thing they saw. Pembe stared closely, judging the competition. The only thing that could be heard were the sounds of crunches, slurps, and various other eating noises.

"Come on, Timon, you've never been able to out-eat me" Pumbaa taunted.

"Oh yeah? Well, you're going down this time, red" he retorted defiantly, shoving another hand full of grubs into his mouth. Pembe rolled her eyes at the nonsense.

"Guys, less talking, more eating! Thirty seconds left!" she shouted. Timon's eyes widened, glancing to Pumbaa's side, he could see the warthog'd had a slight lead on him. He stopped chewing and resorted to swallowing what he could whole.

"Ten seconds!"

Adrenaline pumped through his veins as Pumbaa casually ate more and more, without seeming to become full.

"Five...four...three...two...one! Time!" she shouted. Timon swallowed his last mouthful and began panting. "And the winner is...Pumbaa!" Pembe shouted, making her way over to the warthog. Timon deflated visibly. "So, Pumbaa, now that you've beaten long time competitive eating rival, Timon, what are your plans?" Pumbaa shrugged casually.

"Well...I don't know. I guess I'll just wait until he challenges me next time. Besides, I did get to eat a whole lot of grubs!" he answered with a large smile. Timon crossed his arms in a huff. Pumbaa walked over to him. "Hey, c'mon Timon, it's just for fun. I've got a bigger stomach than you. I'll always be able to out-eat you. Cheer up" he said, smiling at his long time friend. Timon's glare softened into a big grin.

"Ah, who can stay mad at you, ya big lug" he said, hopping onto Pumbaa's head, ruffling his hair. A light chuckle was heard, and the three turned to see Kopa standing behind them, Hinshai in tow. Pembe's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Baha! Good to see you again!" she looked to the small cub hiding behind her father. "Is that little Hinshai? Goodness, I haven't seen her since her ceremony." Timon's head perked up.

"Kopa brought out his little girl?" He hooped down from Pumbaa's head and made his way over to Kopa. The closer he got, the more Hinshai backed away. "Hey, I'm not gunna hirt ya. I'm your uncle Timon!" Kopa leaned down to his daughter and whispered to her.

"Hey, what's the matter?" he asked.

"They scare me" she whispered back. "Especially...her..." she said, nodding towards the large elephant. Kopa chuckled.

"Honey, they're friends of mine. They won't hurt you." He turned back to the others, talking in a normal volume. "She's just a little scared. This is her first time away from Pride Rock. Especially of you" he said, looking at Pembe.

"Afraid of me? Well, why in the world is that? I'm your sister." Hinshai poked her father.

"What's she mean? I thought Auntie Kiara was your sister..." He chuckled.

"Well, she is. But family doesn't always have to be related. Hinshai, meet your Aunt Pembe" he said, smiling when her eyes widened.

"_You're_ my aunt Pembe?" she asked, gazing up to the elephant, who laughed lightly.

"Yes, that would be me. I take it your father's mentioned me?" Kopa nodded.

"I'd told her she had another aunt wandering around the Pridelands. She'd always wanted to see you, but she had to wait till she was old enough to come out and explore the land with me."

"And you failed to mention I'm an elephant because..." ask asked in confusion. He merely shrugged.

"Eh, I haven't gotten around to telling her that story just yet. That's for tonight. Plus, this is funnier" he said with a smile. Hinshai'd been staring wide-eyed at Pembe, mouth hung open. Pembe looked down to her, closing her mouth with her trunk.

"If you keep that open too long, bugs will fly in" she said with a smile. Kopa, Timon, and Pumbaa looked at her with an offended expression.

"And that's bad?" Timon asked, hands on his hips.

"Yes" two voices chorused. The five turned to see Ajabu and Sarafina standing under the shade of a nearby tree.

"Gramma!" Hinshai shouted, bounding towards Sarafina, fear of the strangers forgotten. Sarafina gave her a loving nuzzle, before walking towards Timon.

"It's bad enough my son-in-law, grandson, and Harakati are eating them all the time, but the _last_ thing we need is another bug-eating lion" she said, with a teasing smile. Kopa walked up and nuzzled the old lioness.

"Come on, gram, is it really that bad?" Sarafina retuned the gesture.

"Yes, it is. Now I think that we should keep her on a healthy meat-only diet."

"Hey, now, I only ate bugs growing up, and look at how I tunred out!" he said, puffing out his chest proudly.

"Exactly" Ajabu's voice broke in. She padded over to Kopa, poking him in the chest, deflating his posture. She smiles slyly. "I think eating all of those bugs messed with your head." She lifted up a paw, ruffling the top of his mane. Kopa pouted, swatting her hand away.

"Well, what about dad? He ate bugs!" he cried.

"Yeah," Timon chimed in. "And he turned out to be king!" he shouted, raising his hands above his head.

"That may be true," Sarafina answered, "But he's always been a little crazy. I mean, who thinks it's a good idea to play in an elephant graveyard?" she asked, sitting down. Kopa tilted his head in confusion. Sarafina's eyes widened, before a devious smirk crossed her face.

"Oh, he never told you?" Kopa shook his head.

"No, what happened?"

"What happened? He nearly gave your grandfather a heart attack, that's what happened. I'll never forget the look on Mufasa's face when Zazu told him where he'd been." She laughed. "Of course, everything's funnier in hindsight."

"Daddy, what's hinesight?" Hinshai asked.

"It's when you look back at something that happened after you learned a lesson from it. I've got quite a bit of experience with that myself" he said with a chuckle. "Just remember, if someone you don't know asks you to walk with them, don't listen."

"Okay, Daddy. Hey Daddy, can we go now? I still wanna see everything" she asked politely.

"Of course. Let's get a move on." The two began walking away. "We'll see you guys later!" he shouted over his shoulder. The two walked in silence for a moment.

"Hey Daddy? How's my aunt an elephant?" she asked curiously.

"Well, Hin, you know how I said I'd tell you a story at bedtime?" the cub nodded. "It's part of the story."

"Ohh..." she said, trailing off. "Hey Daddy? Who were those other two With Auntie Pembe?" she asked, trying the name on her tongue.

"That was Uncle Timon and Uncle Pumbaa. They saved Grampa Simba when he was a cub. Our family hasn't exactly had the best of childhoods" he said, smiling to her as they walked. Hinshai's eyes widened at the sights they passed. They'd walked among a herd of giraffes, wildebeest, and antelope. She had never seen such strange creatures, at least, not ones that weren't dinner. Kopa noticed the look in her eyes.

"Pretty cool, huh?" he asked with a smile.

"Yeah..." she trailed off, wide eyes gazing around them.

-Back at Rafiki's Tree-

Vitani eyed the tuft of her tail as she sat, silently swishing it back and forth to pass the time. Thoughts and memories of her past resurfaced in her mind, helping her pass the time. There were not many pleasant ones, but it was hard to hear what'd been going on in the large tree, and she had grown bored. With a sigh, she raised her gaze from her tail to the land around her. She couldn't help but smile. _I sure am glad things all worked out the way they did_ she thought to herself.

Up atop the branches, the old mandrill shook the ancient turtle's shell, mixing its contents thoroughly. Humming lightly to himself, he could not help but grow concerned for the princess. So far, all of the tests had been erratic. Some came back, showing her fertility, while others had claimed she was barren. _Dis final test_ he thought to himself _is a certainty, by far de most accurate._ He finished shifting the shell and gazed at its contents. He drew in a loud gasp, nearly dropping the shell.

"Rafiki? What is it?" Kiara asked, lookng up to the mandrill. Rafiki turned to her, a saddened expression across his face.

"I am sorry to tell you dis, Kiara, but I'm afraid...you cannot produce cubs..."

Her eyes widened, tears rimming them.

"What?" she asked, almost in a whisper. She stood on her feet. "Rafiki, tell me it's not true..." Rafiki broke his gaze, finding the floor very interesting.

"I am sorry, princess. Truly I am..." he lifted an arm around her into a tight hug. She returned it with a hug of her own. He felt her body tremble against his, and then she broke down.

"Oh, Rafiki! What am I going to do?" she asked, crying loudly. "How am I going to tell Kovu?" Rafiki stepped back, looking the princess in the eyes.

"Now, Kiara, we both know dat he will love you no matter what. De only ting I can tell you is dat you will be able to find deh right words, and I know he will undahstand." He wiped a tear from her face with an aged finger. Sniffling, she nodded. She sat down, staring to the floor of the tree,

"I just...I never thought something like _this_ would happen to me." Tears continued rolling down her face. "I've always wanted a cub...and to know that...I'll never have that chance is just..."

"Heartbreaking" Rafiki cut in. He nodded, as if agreeing with himself. "My heart hurts for you as well, Kiara. It is a very saddening ting." He looked to her with a smile. "If it means anyting, I believe you'd have been a terrific mudduh." She smiled to him.

"Thank you Rafiki." She stood and turned, heading towards the edge of the tree. Slowly, she began climbing down.

Vitani heard the rustling of leaves and branches and looked up into the tree above. Seeing Kiara make her way down the branches brought a smile to her face. A moment later, Kiara was on the ground.

"So, how'd it go?" Vitani asked. Kiara just turned away in silence. "Oh no...Kiara, I'm so sorry..." she said, almost in a whisper. Kiara looked up, tears in her eyes.

"Vitani, it's not your fault. It's just how it turned out..." she spoke, attempting to hide how crushed she truly was. Growing up in the Outlands, though, had made the blue eyed lioness very good at reading people.

"Kiara, there's no reason to hide your pain" she told her sister-in-law. "It will only get worse" she spoke softly. Kiara nodded sadly.

"I just need to think..." she said, standing up. "I'm going to go for a walk..."

"I'll come with you. As I said, it's probably best not to be alone for these kinds of things." Kiara gave an appreciative smile to the older lioness, and began walking. Vitani stood, following close behind.

The walk went on in silence, neither really paying attention to direction, nor having a set destination in mind. Kiara's mind was to occupied with the current news to travel elsewhere. _What am I going to do? What's Kovu going to think?_ She could feel the tears sliding slowly down her cheeks, but gave them no mind. _The one thing I've always looked forward to with growing up, and now I know I'll never have it..."_

_Poor girl's probably losing her mind right now..._ Vitani thought, looking over to the princess. After a moment, her gaze found the ground before her. _Their family's suffered enough...and now this? When will it end..._ Her thoughts were halted as she hit something. Looking up, she saw that she'd run into Kiara, who'd seemed to be focused on something in the distance.

"Kiara? What is it?"

"I'm...not sure..." she said, squinting her eyes, taking a few steps forward. Vitani followed her gaze and her eyes widened.

"It's a lioness!" she exclamed. "She looks hurt!" The two took off running towards her. As they grew closer to the figure, they saw she was not alone. Sitting before her were two cubs, eyes barely opened.

"Vitani! Find Kopa and Kovu! Get my father, and tell my mother to ready the den! Hurry!"

**Chapter Three. I find the lack of reviews disturbing. I have more views for this story than I do those reviewing it. **


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